


it's (not) just food

by wolfish_willow



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Families of Choice, Fluff, Gen, Post-Season/Series 02, Steve Harrington Can Cook, Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Steve Harrington-centric, Thanksgiving Dinner, but not actual Thanksgiving because no way these kids get out of the dinner with their families, but pre-Snow Ball, it's not like a main theme but it pretty much always factors into my fics so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23998333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfish_willow/pseuds/wolfish_willow
Summary: Everyone is together for a big not-quite-Thanksgiving meal a month after the Gate is closed. When the main dish is ruined, Joyce is worried there won't be enough food to go around. Steve is worried he's never going to live down that he's got a turkey ready to go in his trunk.He brings it in anyway....his trunk has more containers than he could probably fit on the Byers' countertop. The main thing taking up space is a carefully wrapped roasting pan with the turkey he made and brought over before realizing that was ridiculous.
Relationships: Joyce Byers & Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington & Everyone, Steve Harrington & The Party
Comments: 29
Kudos: 335





	it's (not) just food

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JupiterMelichios](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JupiterMelichios/gifts).



> Written for a prompt sent to me by jupitermelichios MONTHS ago:
> 
> _Steve has a hidden talent, that he'd always assumed was just normal because obviously he couldn't have any special skills, and another character finds out and is really impressed_
> 
> I'm so sorry it took so long, and even more sorry that it's also not _quite_ what you asked for. But I hope you enjoy it anyway!
> 
> Not beta'd, but thank you to pterawaters for helping me figure out how to get them to the freaking dinner table! Hopefully this isn't riddled with typos.
> 
> Enjoy!

Considering the year he's had, Steve can't find it in himself to be surprised at how comfortable he is, sitting on the Byers' floor with a bunch of kids he was barely even aware of a few months ago. His entire world has shifted again, just like last year and yet not at all the same.

Last year he got Nancy back, but lost most of the friends he'd had since he was a kid.

This year he lost Nancy, but somehow ended up with more friends than he's ever had in his life. Dustin hasn't left him alone since the day they saved the world. Kid showed up at his house the next day, kept checking up on him even after the wounds on his face had started to heal.

Steve is actually looking forward to helping Dustin get ready for the Snow Ball, not that he'll ever admit it out loud.

With Dustin came the rest of his group of nerds who are cooler than literally anyone else he knows just by virtue of having saved the world—or at least the town—twice before they reached high school. He's pretty sure most kids would have ended up dead or crazy, dealing with everything they have. But they're all still here, sitting on the floor with him and going on about some movie.

"I don't get it," he says, leaning back against the couch. He stretches his arm across the cushions, legs comfortably sprawled across the carpet. "You guys haven't seen enough weird shit in real life?"

Wheeler rolls his eyes, but Steve thinks that's his default response to anyone that isn't El or Will. Dustin, though, Steve has to hold back a laugh at the way he hangs his head and shakes it like he's just heard the saddest thing in his life.

"Ghostbusters isn't weird shit, Steve," he insists.

"They're a bunch of old guys who try and catch ghosts, what's not weird about that?"

"It's cool," Lucas says, looking over at Will and lightly shoving his shoulder. "Tell him it's cool."

Will grins, nodding. 

"It's really cool. They're not just old guys, they're scientists and they design things that can catch ghosts. How is that not cool?"

Steve smiles and shakes his head. It's good to see them arguing over stupid shit. He hasn't known them long, not really, but they've been so serious since everything happened. It might be normal for them when they're explaining how their nerd game works—outside of the Upside Down. But even when Dustin wheedles him into giving them rides to the arcade, they haven't sounded this relaxed. He hopes it means they're going to be okay, that eventually it will all feel more like a bad dream than anything else.

"Fine," he sighs, dropping his head onto his shoulder in mock defeat, "I guess that's a little cool. Maybe."

Lucas and Will high five and Dustin throws his hands up in the air. 

"Yes!" he shouts, pointing a finger at Steve. "I knew you'd see reason eventually."

"Yeah, yeah," Steve rolls his eyes, but doesn't lose the smile.

"Dammit!"

They all turn toward the kitchen where an alarming amount of smoke billows out. Steve shoots to his feet, the kids doing the same behind him.

"It's fine!" Joyce calls through the smoke. 

One of the kids opens up a window, and he hears someone do the same in the kitchen. It doesn't take long for the smoke to clear out, leaving a faint haze in its wake. 

"You okay?" Hopper asks, just beating Jonathan to the punch by the looks of it.

"I'm fine," Joyce assures everyone. She runs a hand through her hair. "But the food's not. It's ruined, I burned it!"

Hopper looks over what's in the pan, presumably the ham they've been waiting on. His wince says it all. "Yeah, there's no saving this one."

"It's fine, mom," Will says, shoulders drooping a bit. Steve feels his own do the same now that he knows there isn't any fire or emergency.

"Yeah," Jonathan puts an arm around her shoulders. "It's fine, we've still got all the sides."

Joyce sighs, but grips Jonathan's arm in her hand.

"You're right," she sighs before laughing softly. "Definitely not the end of the world."

They all laugh a little, the rest of the tension releasing around the room. 

"I'm just not sure it's going to be enough without the main dish."

She's not wrong, Steve thinks. Between the adults, Jonathan, Nancy, and the kids, there are a lot of people to feed and sides alone probably won't do it. Everyone brought a little something, but not enough to allow for piling up on sides without the ham to round out their plates.

He sighs, shoulders drooping a little further. This might, definitely _will_ , be embarrassing, but it's not like he can let everyone who saved the world go hungry when he can do something about it.

With everyone still focused on the kitchen, no one seems to notice him head out the front door. Not that it will matter by the time he comes back in; it's just easier not having to field questions from the kids the whole time. They would absolutely follow him out to his car rather than wait to find out what he's doing. With his luck, they would also end up sick from walking outside without their jackets or shoes. He's thankful they won't have to worry about that.

The cold air is like a slap to the face after spending the last hour in a warm house. Thankfully he parked close enough it's only seconds before he's opening the trunk of his car. It's so full he can't even see the nail bat which is usually the first thing within reach.

He didn't realize until he was pulling up the driveway that he had probably gone a little bit overboard. Especially when he knew the Byers were providing the main dish and only requested people bring things to go with it.

But he'd been excited and hasn't had an excuse to cook anything like this, ever. When his parents are home for Thanksgiving, he helps out some with things like peeling the potatoes and boiling water, but his mom doesn't hand over control of the kitchen easily. Things have to be done in a Certain Way and Steve loves cooking but hasn't figured out how to do it without annoying her. So big meals are his mom's domain, when they're home to have them together.

This was his chance to do something himself, since his parents were out of town again.

Because of this, his trunk has more containers than he could probably fit on the Byers' countertop. The main thing taking up space is a carefully wrapped roasting pan with the turkey he made and brought over before realizing that was ridiculous. He figured it just meant a lot of turkey sandwiches in his future, given the cold evening air basically turned the trunk of his car into a refrigerator. 

At least now he won't be getting sick of turkey anytime soon.

He hefts the pan out, careful not to tip it while closing up. 

With one last deep breath Steve forces himself to walk back through the yard and into the house. It's not like this is Tommy or Carol. They might poke fun but they aren't going to be jerks.

When he lets himself back in, the kids are back in their places on the floor. He sees Hopper helping Joyce scrape the last of the ruined ham out of the pan. Despite the ruined food, they're smiling. It's as good to see the two of them like that as it is to know the kids are getting back to normal. If the adults can get through this okay, and the kids can start acting like themselves again, then there's hope that Steve can do the same. 

This dinner is a good start for that.

Jonathan, whose attention has been split between Hopper-and-Joyce and Nancy most of the evening, is the first to notice him coming back in. His whole face scrunches up, or down in the case of his eyebrows. Nancy looks at him next, following Jonathan's line of sight. It doesn't hurt as much, the way her nose scrunches up as well, like her and Jonathan even share their confusion. 

He might always love her, _will_ always love her. But it soothes something inside him to know that he'd rather see her happy with someone else than make them both miserable, hoping she'll come back to him or being bitter about the whole thing.

"What?" she says, the word cut short like she's not sure where to start.

He lifts one shoulder in a shrug, but doesn't say anything as he makes his way into the kitchen. Joyce is laughing and neither of them notice him setting the pan on the only bit of counter space he can find. Steve clears his throat. 

Joyce is the first to react, leaving the pan in the sink and turning to him. Still smiling, she looks at the foil covered dish taking up way too much space on her small counter. 

"What's this?" she asks.

Steve shuffles his feet and runs a hand through his hair. It takes effort not to cross his arms. This is ridiculous, it's only food.

"I had all this food at home for, you know, Thanksgiving or whatever. We didn't. Well, I still had a bunch of stuff to cook, so."

He lifts his hands from his sides but manages to set them on his hips instead of making the lamest 'ta-da' gesture ever.

"I didn't bring it in because I figured we had enough, but with," he points to the pan sitting in the sink.

Joyce's eyes light up.

"This is great!" she says, uncovering one side of the foil to look at the turkey underneath. "The oven's still warm, I think we can all last a little longer while we let this heat up."

By now, everyone's looking into the kitchen to see what's happening but Steve is distracted from the attention when Joyce steps forward and hugs him. He stands there with his arms stretched awkwardly to the side for the second it takes for him to understand what's happening. He swallows, returning the hug. 

"Thank you, sweetie," she says into his chest. It's somehow surprising, her height. She feels larger than life, sometimes, even in her more fragile moments. The lengths he knows she'd go, has gone, for her family paints how she looks in his mind. 

Holding her a little tighter, some of the awkwardness he was feeling fades away.

"No problem, Mrs. Byers."

He ignores the amused look on Hopper's face to keep his sanity intact.

*

The table is packed. The turkey takes up the center spot, with a couple of sides spread out around it. More dishes sit on the counter to make room for everyone's plates. Even with the addition of a folding table to add room, they're going to be bumping elbows as they eat.

Steve loves it.

This is different than any other meal he's had. Everyone is talking over each other as they fill their plates, asking where a dish is. The kids yell at each other not to hog the mashed potatoes and the rolls while Nancy sneaks the bowl away from all of them to fill her plate, then Jonathan's. They pass it to him next, her smile soft and Jonathan looks happier than Steve's ever seen him and the potatoes feel a little bit like a peace offering. Maybe he's reading too much into it, but he smiles back, just as soft, when he takes the dish from her. 

The noise doesn't quiet down until everyone has a full plate and starts taking their first bites.

Steve has been pushing down his worry that the turkey is bad, even though it looked and smelled good to him while he'd been cooking. Everyone seems pretty focused on the potatoes and green bean casserole at first. He's both thankful for the extra time before they try it, and anxious for them to get it over with.

The semi-quiet of scraping forks and knives is broken by a quiet, disgruntled sound coming from Wheeler. Mike's sitting a little further down, but Steve can see the bit of turkey still on his fork when he looks. 

Here it comes, he thinks. Everyone else in the room is too nice to say if it actually sucks. Given that the first main dish is sitting in the trash, he can't imagine Joyce being happy with anyone being mean about the turkey taking up the center of the table. It hasn't helped his nerves any, but he knows it's true.

Wheeler, though, still isn't his biggest fan. Of all of them, he is the least likely to smile and chew when he's not enjoying something that Steve had a hand in making. 

Steve's grip on his own fork tightens. It's not a big deal. It's just food. Either way, he's still happy he brought it and gets to join in on this meal with these people who, nerds included, are all so much cooler than anyone else he knows. 

"It's _good_." 

Mike sounds so offended that it takes Steve a few seconds to understand the actual words.

"What?" he says more than asks. It wasn't all that long ago that he'd taken more than a few hits to his head. It wouldn't surprise him to find out he'd misheard.

Mike's face is scrunched up, his nose curling the same way Nancy's does sometimes. He would hate the comparison. Steve is tempted to point it out, but Mike speaks again before he gets the chance.

" _You_ made this?"

"Yeah?" Steve draws the word out, sounding more unsure than he should considering he _is_ the one that made it. It's not like there's anyone else at his house to do the cooking right now.

Lucas takes a bite next and nods while he chews.

"It _is_ good!" he says, sounding much more enthusiastic, if also more than a little shocked.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Steve says dryly, even if he doesn't blame them for being surprised. It's not like he's ever told anyone that he cooks before.

Even back when he hung out with Tommy and Carol, they always went out or ordered pizza. They were more concerned with whatever beer they could buy and drink than the food they were eating. Steve also knows how they would have reacted if they'd seen how much he enjoyed it. 

Looking back, he realizes how lousy they'd been as friends. He's known them forever and it took the way they treated Nancy, someone he really cared about, for him to understand that. It felt so sudden at the time, but it wasn't.

He's only known most of the people at this table for a few months. It was embarrassing that he'd gone overboard, and he's definitely not telling them about the rest of the food still sitting in his trunk. But, even with the way Mike is sullenly taking another bite, and the surprise on everyone's faces, he isn't ashamed about it. Not how he would be, how they would make him feel, if he'd shared it with his ex-friends. 

"Steve!" Dustin shouts as though he won't be heard from a few seats away.

"Dustin!" Steve yells back, chuckling at the way Nancy jumps in surprise.

He sees unimpressed looks coming his way from both the adults and some of the kids, but Dustin grins wide and happy at him. It's silly, but Steve feels warm over being the cause of that look. It's a lot more rewarding making people smile than making them mad. Who knew?

"Steve," Dustin continues, not shouting but still louder than is necessary. Steve's learned that loud is this kid's default volume. It takes some getting used to, but he doesn't mind it as much as he thinks he should. His house is so quiet, so often, that it's nice to be around someone who can't help but make noise. "You have to cook the next time you come over!"

"What? No," Steve scoffs before shoving half a dinner roll in his mouth. 

"Yes!" Dustin says, "My mom would love it, come on."

Steve shakes his head, chewing slowly on his bread so he doesn't have to say anything. 

"Please! Please please please—"

"Fine!" he says, slumping in his seat. He hears Hopper laughing at him and when he looks, Joyce is hiding her smile behind her hand. Jonathan's shoulders are shaking with silent laughter. Even Nancy looks amused. 

"Shut up," he pouts. It's hard to hold the expression long when Dustin pumps his fist up like he's won the lottery. Steve doesn't get it, it really _is_ just food. But it's not like it will be a hardship, making something for Mrs. Henderson and her son. They invite him over often enough that he worries he'll wear out his welcome sooner than later. Somehow, though, he always gets another invitation before the evening is over, so he must be doing something right.

Bringing over one of her favorite meals might be a good way to keep getting invited. So long as he doesn't screw it up.

"Your turkey is delicious," Joyce says, managing to sound like she wasn't just laughing at his being a complete pushover. 

"Yeah, kid," Hopper agrees, not even bothering to pretend he doesn't find the whole thing hilarious. Steve thinks he probably _should_ care. About the way Nancy is smiling as she chews her food. About how Mike is whispering in El's ear, probably explaining _why_ it's so funny that Steve apparently can't say no to Dustin. Especially about the smug smile Dustin shoots the rest of his friends because he got his way.

The only thing he cares about, though, is how happy everyone looks and sounds. 

And the fact that he's feeling the same way.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, please consider commenting or leaving kudos! They're really appreciated. :D
> 
> Feel free to chat with me over on [tumblr](https://wolfish-willow.tumblr.com).


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